Stan Mataele

Mataele was born on June 24, 1963, in Tonga.[1] He and Lakei Heimuli were the first Tongan players in the NFL.[2] He grew up in Hawaii and enjoyed surfing, weightlifting, playing rugby football and playing piano.[3][4] He attended Kahuku High School but did not play sports there.[5]

When visiting a family member in Sacramento, California, Mataele decided he liked the city and opted to enroll at Sacramento City College.[6] At Sacramento City College, he was spotted one day while lifting weights by the American football coach, who asked him if he had ever played the sport before.[6] He wanted to try out the sport, so he lied and said that he did play. However, Mataele said that the first day in practice, the coach "immediately knew I hadn't."[6] He was still kept on the team, however; the Arizona Republic said that "The fact that Mataele can bench press 505 pounds might have entered into the decision."[6]

A defensive end, he was able to earn All-California junior college honors at Sacramento.[6] He also tried out for the track and field team and made it as a participant in the hammer throw; although he struggled at first, he became a top player for the school by the midway point of his first season, winning a state meet with a state community college record.[5][7] He later broke his own record and reached the Northern California hammer throw finals.[7] Following the 1984 football season, he committed to continue his career with the Arizona Wildcats.[8]

Mataele entered the 1985 season as a backup at nose tackle, later moved up to the starting role, and then shifted to defensive tackle.[3] He helped them place second in their conference in yards-per-game allowed and first in points-per-game allowed.[9] He also joined the Arizona track and field team, setting the school record for hammer throw.[6] As a senior, he was selected second-team All-West Coast, second-team All-Pac-10, and was invited to the Hula Bowl after leading the Pac-10 with 10 and 1/2 sacks.[10][11][12][13]

Mataele was selected in the eighth round (197th overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[14] He signed his first contract on July 19, but was released on August 12.[15][16] When the National Football League Players Association went on strike, Mataele was signed as a replacement player by the Green Bay Packers to play nose tackle.[17] He appeared in two strike games, against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles as a backup, before being released at the end of the strike.[18][19][20] He returned to the Packers in April 1988, but left the team in July 1988, ending his professional career.[20]

Mataele had five children.[21]